Elves
With their unearthly grace and fine features, elves appear hauntingly beautiful to humans and members of many other races. They are slightly shorter than humans on average, ranging from under 5 feet tall to just over 6 feet. They are more slender than humans, weighing only 100 to 145 pounds. Males and females are about the same height, and males are only marginally heavier than females. Elves’ coloration encompasses the normal human range and also includes skin in shades of copper, bronze, and almost bluish-white, hair of green or blue, and eyes like pools of liquid gold or silver. Elves have no facial and little body hair. They favor elegant clothing in bright colors, and they enjoy simple yet lovely jewelry. Elves mature slightly slower than humans (reaching maturity around 20 or 25), but claim adulthood around 100 years old. They can live to be 750 or 800 years old. They believe in freedom and expression, and are more often good than not. They are slender, ranging from 5 to 6 feet in general. Elvish Culture In general, elves are aloof and distant from the issues of people on the continent of Ennorath. Most of elvenkind resides on Indasil, the elvish homeland. Long ago, the elves reigned over Indasil and what is now the Tenerith, along with all the land in-between. Four sub-races of elves exist, though there isn’t much difference in their bloodlines, and many elves cannot trace which they belong to. The Árevar (sun-elves) are the most common on Indasil and the surrounding islands, having stayed in their ancestral homeland. Isilvar (moon-elves) are descended from the younger northern kingdom of Firindor, and since its destruction have spread out throughout Ennorath and Indasil. The Laicar (green/wood elves) are scarcer, and inhabit the parts of Ennorath that are east of the Greyspine or northwest of Indasil. The Ninquar (snow-elves) are really a subrace of the Isilvar, living farther north than most other sentient races travel. Elves on Ennorath tend to be friendly and interact well with those about them. They live long lives, and most travel during their lifetime, seeking to fill the many centuries of their life with new experiences or knowledge. They converse with creatures from all walks of life, interested to learn of the perspectives other creatures have on the world, and listening for any wisdom they can glean from it. Most elves do not share the same passion that the gnomes do - the smaller Fair Folk attack life with passion as if they were starved and life were the most delicious of foods - but elvenkind has a predisposition towards an exploratory lifestyle. Those on Indasil that live in the larger cities and port towns also share this interest in a diverse life, but to a slightly lesser extent. Those farther inland experience less still; the great schools, libraries, and ancestral homes of the elves all reside in the great forests and mountains of the heart of the elven continent, and the inhabitants of these sheltered kingdoms are happy to spend years at a time creating song, magic, metal, or wood. The craftsmanship of these elves is unrivalled by any on the Material Plane, and nowhere else can one find mortal sentient people more knowledgeable about their craft or field of study. Here, magic and mastery of agriculture make trade largely unnecessary, and outsiders often have a hard time finding these locations even with directions. The way to these cities and schools is a test in and of itself, but is only the first of many steps needed to gain the trust or respect of the elves of Indasil. Wood elves tend to be more xenophobic as a whole than even the inland elves, even to their own kindred; the more secluded a community, the less they like outsiders. These tend to reside high in the treetops or in mountain caves carved to resemble forests of winding stone pillars. Elves in general are poetic, intelligent, and dexterous - it is said by some humans that there has never been an elf who could not read or write. While this is untrue, such elves would exist only as orphans living outside of civilization; elves place a high emphasis on education, personal growth and improvement, and mastery of one’s chosen path. Though they mature at almost the same rate as humans (being slightly slower than their speed), an elf is not considered to be an adult until they have shed their childhood name and claimed adulthood. The time at which this point comes in an elf’s life is largely up to the individual, however the cultural expectation is that they must complete some personal rite of passage; the introspective or emotional elves may choose a new name after a great change in their personal outlook on life or the world, while the more intellectual elves may complete the first work of their craft they consider to be good quality. In general, elves also have a great respect for nature. A beast is more likely to befriend an elf than most other races, and many creatures understand Sylvan, which is a dialect of elvish most common among the wood elves. Many elves choose to live in the feywild, and these elves are known as the Nandinar. Wild, bright-eyed, and occasionally raucous, these elves are far less civilized and resemble human-sized pixies or dryads more than a normal elf. While elves on the material plane do enjoy visits to the feywild, they prefer the relative order and rationality of their lands to the ever-changing and unchartable Feywild, and keep a distance from their fey kin. Of all creatures, elves most revere the treants, unicorns, pegasi, and metallic dragons, either for their innate intelligence and beauty or their immense wisdom. In particular elves feel kinship with silver dragons, who often walk among them in humanoid guise and share a similar interest in learning and discovery. Minyar As of now, the only remaining Minyar reside in Tarimar, the fabled lost homeland. They primarily speak Quenya, and know little of the Sindarin dialect. They are graceful beyond compare, and their ruddy complexions combine with their natural athleticism to make them seem brimming with youthful energy till they are in the final stages of their longer-than-average lifetimes. Árevar The Árevar, or Sun-Elves, are the closest in blood to the Minyar, though they too have changed since those days, and they inhabit Indasil as the majority. Quenya flavors their words and names still, but most elves in this day do not remember the Old Speech, and those that do seldom speak it. In appearance the Sun-Elves tend to have brown or golden hair, with their skin tones ranging along the warmer and paler spectrum. They are the tallest among the elven races, and tend to be the most solidly-built as well (though that still doesn’t say much, as elves in general are slender beings). Isilvar The Isilvar had inhabitied Firindor, but now the only remnants are in Indasil and in monasteries along the Greyspine. These “grey-elves”, or moon elves as they prefer, have paler, almost luminescent skin that ranges from very faint warm tones to grey-blues and silvery-whites. Their hair ranges from platinum blondes to dark blue-blacks. Laicar The Laicar inhabit Taurelondë and parts of the Feywild. They are slightly more slender than the sun-elves, and in general the tones of their skin tend towards neutral tans and browns with varying amounts of yellow or green. Their hair Ninquar The Ninquar have long roamed the lands of the Frorenlaed like ghosts in the snow, though they do have strongholds in hidden places. Elf Traits Your elf character has a variety of natural abilities, the result of thousands of years of elven refinement. * Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2. * Age. Although elves reach physical maturity at about the same age as humans, the elven understanding of adulthood goes beyond physical growth to encompass worldly experience. An elf typically claims adulthood and an adult name around the age of 100 and can live to be 750 years old. * Alignment. Elves love freedom, variety, and self-expression, so they lean strongly toward the gentler aspects of chaos. They value and protect others' freedom as well as their own, and they are more often good than not. The drow are an exception; their exile into the Underdark has made them vicious and dangerous. Drow are more often evil than not. * Size. Elves range from under 5 to over 6 feet tall and have slender builds. Your size is Medium. * Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet. * Darkvision. Accustomed to twilit forests and the night sky, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray. * Keen Senses. You have proficiency in the Perception skill. * Fey Ancestry. You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can’t put you to sleep. * Trance. Elves don’t need to sleep. Instead, they meditate deeply, remaining semiconscious, for 4 hours a day. (The Common word for such meditation is “trance.”) While meditating, you can dream after a fashion; such dreams are actually mental exercises that have become reflexive through years of practice. After resting in this way, you gain the same benefit that a human does from 8 hours of sleep. * Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Elvish. Elvish is fluid, with subtle intonations and intricate grammar. Elven literature is rich and varied, and their songs and poems are famous among other races. Many bards learn their language so they can add Elvish ballads to their repertoires. * Subrace. Ancient divides among the elven people resulted in three main subraces: high elves, wood elves, and dark elves, who are commonly called drow. Choose one of these subraces. In this setting, there are High elves, Sun elves, Moon elves, Wood elves, Snow elves, and Dark elves. High Elf The Árevar and Isilvar fall under this category. They are also known as Sun and Moon elves. * Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases by 1. * Elf Weapon Training. You have proficiency with the longsword, shortsword, shortbow, and longbow. * Cantrip. You know one cantrip of your choice from the wizard spell list. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for it. * Extra Language. You can speak, read, and write one extra language of your choice. Wood Elf The Laicar and Ninquar of the wilderness, also known as the Wood and Snow elves, use these statistics. * Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 1. * Elf Weapon Training. You have proficiency with the longsword, shortsword, shortbow, and longbow. * Fleet of Foot. Your base walking speed increases to 35 feet. * Mask of the Wild. You can attempt to hide even when you are only lightly obscured by foliage, heavy rain, falling snow, mist, and other natural phenomena. Dark Elf (Drow) The dark and long-exiled cousins of surface elves use these statistics. This setting does not allow players to pick a drow unless specifically permitted by the DM. * Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 1. * Superior Darkvision. Your darkvision has a radius of 120 feet. * Sunlight Sensitivity. You have disadvantage on attack rolls and on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight when you, the target of your attack, or whatever you are trying to perceive is in direct sunlight. * Drow Magic. You know the Dancing Lights cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the Faerie Fire spell once per day. When you reach 5th level, you can also cast the Darkness spell once per day. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells. * Drow Weapon Training. You have proficiency with rapiers, shortswords, and hand crossbows. Category:Races Category:Lore Category:All